It's ALLLLLLLL Done

Reading: Hebrews 7

After explaining the earlier reference he made to Jesus becoming a priest as had been Melchizedek (see previous post), the writer to the Hebrews describes why Jesus is a superior priest.

The old system with an inherited priesthood limited to the tribe of Levi and attached to the Law, was not perfect. And its imperfections and limitations prevented it from meeting the people’s need for restoration and reconciliation with the God against whom they had sinned.

When Jesus came, the perfect answer to the dilemma came with Him.

“Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people, He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever” (Hebrews 7:26-28, NIV).

A perfect priest. A perfect sacrifice.

The others died—and stayed dead—necessitating a new, and flawed, priest. The sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again.

Christ’s priesthood was permanent. He died but He came back from the dead. He was perfect. He became His own sacrifice, one that didn’t have to be repeated because it was perfect. Jesus didn’t have to keep trying to “get it right.” It was the right the first time. Because, as both priest and sacrifice, Jesus remains alive, so does the efficacy and permanence of His ministry.

There is no other priest, no other sacrifice needed.

It’s done.

Perfection can’t be improved upon. That brings us immense and profound relief. We can stop trying to get to that state on our own, stop trying to impress God, stop trying to be what we can never be in ourselves. It means that we can let go and allow God to apply the righteousness of Christ to us since we have none of our own. We can accept the free gift of His forgiveness and grace since we have nothing to offer Him that would ever come near to paying for it.

It’s done. Thank God, it’s done.